The Red Data Book of the Mammals of South Africa – An important milestone in South African mammal conservation

04 July 2004 | News story

Gland, Switzerland, 4 July 2004 (IUCN)-The World Conservation Union. The Red Data Book of the Mammals of South Africa: A Conservation Assessment is the first ever conservation assessment of every terrestrial and marine mammal in South Africa, using the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species criteria at regional level. A previous assessment published in 1986 covered only a subset of species.

This new book is a major achievement, updating current scientific knowledge on the status and threats facing the country's mammals, whilst highlighting the species in greatest danger of becoming extinct. It also makes recommendations for the strategic conservation and management of threatened mammals and their habitats. Undoubtedly a major milestone in South African mammal conservation, it has been possible thanks to the hard work of nearly 90 of the country's mammal specialists over the past two years.

Of the 295 mammal species and sub-species evaluated, 57 (19 %) are considered to be threatened in South Africa, because they were assigned to one of the three "at risk of extinction" categories.

* 10 species, including seven endemic species, have been classified as Critically Endangered (considered to face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild):

* The remaining 29 threatened species are classified as Vulnerable (considered to face a high risk of extinction in the wild).

The main threats to many mammals are habitat loss and land use changes, as well as hunting and pollution. Habitats under greatest threat which support the highest number of threatened mammals are savannah, grasslands and forests.

This publication will without doubt be a vital tool for setting conservation and management priorities in South Africa, by directing conservation action towards species in greatest danger. The baseline data on all mammals will also allow population trends in both common and threatened species to be monitored over time, with the potential to measure the success or failure of conservation programmes.

A copy of the book, which is over 700 pages, can be obtained as a paper copy or on CD-ROM from Ms Yolan Friedmann, Conservation Manager, Endangered Wildlife Trust. Email: cbsgsa@wol.co.za; Tel. + 27 (0)11 486 1102 / (0)82 990 3534.

This project would not have been possible without the dedication, time, effort and enthusiastic participation of all the scientific contributors, their organizations, the Endangered Wildlife Trust, the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group of the IUCN's Species Survival Commission and the SSC Red List Programme. Invaluable was the support of Vodacom, the Lomas Wildlife Trust and the National Research Foundation.